Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Classics in major and minor!, 21 May 2004
It was with great pleasure that I discovered Universal were finally releasing 'Werewolf of London' on dvd. I already had 'The Wolfman', but had never even seen WoL.Everyone with even the remotest of interests in the horror genre will already be aware of 'The Wolfman'; it could be argued that this movie was the last genuine Universal classic horror of the 1930s and 1940s. Everything about it is right; it it one of those precious few genuinely timeless classics that can be viewed and re - viewed with equal pleasure and deserves a place on any collector's shelf. Less familiar is 'Werewolf of London', Universal's first attempt at a fully fledged werewolf movie and an interesting comparrison with their later, far more successful, one.
The films are really quite different; a major difference is reflected in Henry Hull's performance. Unlike Lon Chaney jnr's Larry Talbot, Hull's Dr.Wilfred Glendon is difficult to sympathise with. From the outset he comes across as brusque, pompous, terse and snobbish. Oddly, it's not until the later stages, as he's becoming increasingly lupine, that his more human side begins to emerge. This serves to suggest tragedy but the nails have already been pounded into the coffin of his marriage by the earlier arrival of his wife's childhood sweetheart.
In 'The Wolfman', however, the tragedy of Talbot's situation is played to the maximum; there is no doubt in our minds that he is a victim who clearly deserves our pity.
There's far more of a 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' feeling to 'Werewolf of London'; the laboratory, Glendon taking rooms in a seedy part of London in the hope of concealing his alter ego and the climax, which would be hard to distinguish from a Jekyll and Hyde film. No silver bullets, (Curt Siodmak wasn't involved with this film) but a little bit of Hollywood folklore was born.... 'the werewolf instinctively seeks to kill the thing it loves best' warns the sinister Dr. Yogami ( ex - Fu Manchu Warner oland), a theme that does seem to have endured. It would be worth buying just for 'Werwolf of London', but two great movies at this price....... brilliant!
Both films are presented in wonderfully clear editions in this set, the extras are well worth having and the presentation is aesthetically very pleasing. I have the feeling that these sets will become collectors items and would heartilly reccommend any movie fan to buy them while they can.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Bark at the Moon, 28 Jan 2008
I'm guessing that most people reading reviews of this DVD package will be doing so to find out more about The Werewolf of London. So I'll start with this film first. It was Universal's first attempt at a werewolf film, so a lot of the genre's trappings, such as silver to kill the wolf hadn't actually been drempt up yet. So it makes for a bit of a refreshing change to see this film use it's own werewolf 'mythology'. Henry Hull is the main character. A botinist who, while searching in Tibet for a plant that only flowers by the light of the moon, is attacked and bitten by a wolf creature. He returns to England with some samples of the plant, and attempts to make them bloom with the use of his lunar rays machine. (Not sure why he couldn't just wait for the moon to do the job for him - but that's never really explained!) A second scientist of strange oriental persuasion is soon pestering him to see the plant. He explains that the plant is an antidote to "Werewolfery" (their word, not mine) and that he knows of 2 such cases of werewolves in London at this very time.
I won't spoil the rest of the story, suffice to say that the overall feel of this film has much more in common with Dr Jekyl and Mr Hyde, than it does with the later Wolf Man films. Hull doesn't play the character for sympathy as Lon Chaney does, but rather he's seen wrestling with the inner demons that drive him to murder. Highly recommended.
The other film of the package is of course the Wolf Man. Lon Chaney, to my mind, never really convinces as an actor. He plays the role a bit on the hammy side for my tastes. Although there's no denying that the look of the film is fabulous. Lots of dark twisted forests with mist licking round the feet, or paws, of the characters as they flee for their lives.
Anyone with a love for gothic horror will love to own these two films.
Fangtastic!! (hoho, how could I resist!!)
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